Liverpool Tops Hoffenheim in First Leg of Champions Playoff

James Milner (7) with Georginio Wijnaldum after Liverpool’s second goal in a 2-1 victory at Hoffenheim.CreditRonald Wittek/European Pressphoto Agency

Aug. 15, 2017

Liverpool spoiled Hoffenheim’s debut in European competition by winning, 2-1, in the first leg of their Champions League playoff Tuesday.

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet had already saved a weak penalty from Andrej Kramaric by the time the 18-year-old right back Trent Alexander-Arnold curled a kick over the wall and into the bottom right-hand corner in the 35th minute. Havard Nordtveit inadvertently deflected the substitute James Milner’s cross from the left high into his own net to put visiting Liverpool, the five-time European champion, 2-0, up in the 74th minute.

However, the substitute Mark Uth gave Hoffenheim a glimmer of hope going into next week’s second leg at Anfield when he chested down a long ball forward and drilled an angled shot into the corner in the 87th minute.

Liverpool is looking to become the fifth English team to qualify for the group stage — joining Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City and the Europa League winner Manchester United — and return to Europe’s top competition for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

Hoffenheim is in unknown territory after reaching the Champions League playoffs courtesy of a fourth-place finish under Julian Nagelsmann, its 30-year-old coach.

In other first-leg results, CSKA Moscow benefited from an own goal in second-half injury time to beat Young Boys, 1-0; the Azerbaijani team Qarabag beat F.C. Copenhagen, 1-0; and Apoel Nicosia won, 2-0, at home against Slavia Prague. Sporting Lisbon and Steaua Bucharest drew, 0-0.

RED BULLS ADVANCE TO TITLE GAME Bradley Wright-Phillips scored two of the Red Bulls’ three unanswered goals as they advanced to the title game of the U.S. Open Cup with a 3-2 victory over F.C. Cincinnati in Cincinnati. The Red Bulls will play for the championship Sept. 20 against Sporting KC, a penalty-kick shootout winner over the San Jose Earthquakes last Wednesday.

Cincinnati conceded its first goal of the tournament in the 75th minute when the second-half substitute Gonzalo Veron knocked in a loose ball in front of the net to pull the Red Bulls to 2-1. Three minutes later, Wright-Phillips headed it inside the near post from the penalty spot to tie it. In the first 15-minute extra session, Wright-Phillips headed in Sal Zizzo’s chipped cross for his third Cup goal.

BIDS SOUGHT FOR 2026 CUP HOST CITIES The committee that is hoping to bring the 2026 World Cup to the United States, Mexico and Canada is seeking bids from 44 cities that may be interested in hosting matches. The United Bid Committee is considering 49 stadiums for inclusion in the official bid that will be sent to soccer’s international governing body, FIFA, in March. Possible game sites in the United States range from AT&T Stadium (capacity 105,000) in Dallas to Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,807) in Salt Lake City.

BASEBALL

Red Sox Turn Triple Play in Victory

Xander Bogaerts had three hits, Hanley Ramirez, Sandy Leon and Jackie Bradley Jr. all added two R.B.I., and the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 10-4, in Boston. Boston blew the game open courtesy of a wild fifth inning, tallying eight hits and eight runs. It came an inning after the Red Sox turned their first triple play in six years.

STANTON HITS 44TH HOMER IN DEFEAT Giancarlo Stanton homered in his sixth consecutive game to give him a major-league-leading 44, but the Miami Marlins fell, 9-4, at home to the San Francisco Giants. Stanton hit a solo shot to deep left-center field off Madison Bumgarner (3-5) in the third inning. He has 11 homers in his last 12 games.

NATIONALS END ANGELS’ WINNING STREAK Gio Gonzalez allowed two hits in six scoreless innings, Howie Kendrick hit two solo home runs, and the Nationals snapped the Los Angeles Angels’ winning streak at six with a 3-1 victory in Washington.

SANTANA’S HOMERS POWER INDIANS Carlos Santana hit two of Cleveland’s five home runs and Danny Salazar continued his strong second-half stretch in the Indians’ 8-1 victory over the Twins in Minneapolis.

GOLF

Police Release Woods Toxicology Report

A toxicology report shows that Tiger Woods had the active ingredient for marijuana, two painkillers and two sleep drugs in his system when he was arrested on a D.U.I. charge. The Jupiter, Fla., police released the report less than a week after Woods agreed to enter a diversion program to settle his driving while intoxicated charges.

Woods, 41, was arrested in May when officers found him asleep in his car. In a statement Tuesday, he said he was trying on his own to treat pain from back surgery he underwent in April. Woods is scheduled to plead guilty to reckless driving Oct. 25 and enter the diversion program.

FOOTBALL

First Woman to Sue Baylor Settles Case

The first woman to sue Baylor University over allegations that the university ignored or mishandled rape allegations has settled her case, her lawyer said. Jasmin Hernandez sued Baylor, the nation’s largest Baptist university, in early 2016, two months before the university released the results of an internal investigation that found Baylor had mishandled rape or assault cases for years and the football program acted as if it were “above the rules.”

Hernandez’s lawyer, Alexander Zalkin, said that Hernandez settled the case over the weekend, but he declined to release details of any financial agreement.

Baylor had previously tried to settle with Hernandez, who was raped by the former football player Tevin Elliott in 2012. He was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.

PANTHERS SIGN LINEBACKER TO EXTENSION The Carolina Panthers have signed outside linebacker Thomas Davis to a one-year contract extension, keeping him with the team through the 2018 season. Davis, 34, has returned from three torn A.C.L.s in the same knee to become one of the league’s best linebackers, earning All-Pro honors in 2015 while helping the Panthers reach the Super Bowl.

DOLPHINS LOSE CORNERBACK FOR THE YEAR The Miami Dolphins’ latest injury will sideline cornerback Tony Lippett for the season. Lippett tore his Achilles’ tendon during practice Monday and will need surgery.

JETS’ WHITEHEAD HAS BROKEN FOOT Jets wide receiver Lucky Whitehead has a broken foot and will be sidelined indefinitely. He was waived by Dallas last month following a shoplifting accusation that turned out to be a case of false identity.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B12 of the New York edition with the headline: Soccer; Liverpool Wins First Leg in Champions Playoff. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe